Partners
by kimr1989
Summary: This story takes place after shots are fired in the season 4 finale. Can Bos and Faith ever be partners again?


Partners  
  
Three shots, two officers down, entirely my fault. Two shots into the shoulder of a woman I thought I could love, one into the one person who ever cared about me. Cruz is cursing, trying to get her gun. I know now she would shoot me without a second thought. I pick up her gun as Noble runs out of the hotel room. I let him go.  
  
When I train my gun on Cruz, she tries to get up, but she's in too much pain. I see she can't do any more damage so I holster my weapon and turn to my partner. "Faith? Faith can you hear me?" Faith opens her eyes. Thankfully, she's wearing her vest, but she hit her head on the table when she went down. The bullet hitting the vest knocked the wind out of her. I know what she's feeling. She could have broken ribs, so I tell her not to move. I take her radio and call for EMS and backup. I hold the napkin she dropped to the gash on her head. She just stares at me, not saying a word. "I'm so sorry, Faith. I tried to stop her."  
  
Sully and Ty enter followed by Doc and Carlos. Ty picks up Noble's gun, I hand him Cruz's. They're talking to me, asking what happened. I can't answer any questions until I know Faith is ok. Cruz starts spouting the lies she thinks will save her. How could I not see how damaged she was? I saw a lot of myself in her. I thought we were alike, but now I see what Faith saw all along. Cruz wasn't a driven officer trying to clean up the streets, she was insane.  
  
Doc and Carlos call for a second bus. Cruz is losing blood quickly from two wounds so they take her first. Kim and her new partner enter as Doc and Carlos take Cruz out. She takes the napkin from my hand and checks Faith's head. "She got hit in the vest." I move back out of the way, but I still hold Faith's hand. Kim opens Faith's shirt and I help her remove Faith's vest then I take her hand again. Faith tells Kim she feels like she can't get her breath. Faith asks Sully to call Fred so he won't worry. They load Faith onto the backboard and I help carry her to the ambulance ignoring Swersky who is demanding an explanation. I'm probably going to get fired anyway, so who cares. I'm not leaving Faith. She still hasn't said a word to me, but she hasn't pulled her hand away either. I sit quietly in the bus waiting for any sign she will ever speak to me again.  
  
We get to the ER and I stay by her side while they check the cut on her head. She won't need stitches. I stay until they take her to get an x-ray of her chest to make sure she doesn't have any broken ribs. When she returns, I go back to her side. She talks to the doctor, the nurses, the paramedics, but not me. I'm holding her hand when the doctor tells her she doesn't have any broken ribs and that she'll need to take it easy for a few days.  
  
When Fred arrives, I go sit in the lounge where I can see them. I see her talk to Fred. He kisses her then he leaves her and the nurse pulls the curtain closed. Fred comes in the lounge and thanks me for staying with her. I could have gotten his wife killed and he's thanking me. The curtain opens again. She talks to Swersky, but not long enough to tell him anything. He must be telling her to stop by the house. She nods. Fred goes to her side and helps her outside. She never said a word to me. She doesn't even glance my direction.  
  
Swersky sees me. He opens the door and tells me to get over to the house Now. When I get there, I head directly to his office ignoring everyone in between. I tell him everything. I don't want him to think Faith had anything to do with my colossal screw up. I don't expect to keep my job, so I tell him I don't need the union rep. I tell him about everything I saw working with Cruz. I told him how I falsified the report about the dying declaration. I told him about Noble and his notebooks and the drug dealer he had shot supposedly in self defense. I told him about my affair with Cruz.  
  
IAB was already investigating Cruz. My information would be helpful in convicting her of the crimes she had committed. I was suspended for two weeks for getting my partner shot and Faith was in the clear. IAB would be in touch with me for a formal statement. Noble was rounded up and was in lock up. He would probably cut a deal and write a book with me in a starring role as the idiot. Great.  
  
I go home and sit by the phone. I jump every time I hear footsteps outside my door. Two weeks pass and she still doesn't call me. I know she's already back at work. She's fine. It could have been so much worse and entirely my fault. I sleep, I eat, and sit by the phone waiting for a call that never comes. I want her to call and yell at me, tell me how useless I am. I said things to her to hurt her and push her away. I want her to call so I can tell her I didn't mean it. I hurt her because she hurt me, but I can't call her. I don't deserve her forgiveness, so I won't ask for it.  
  
I go back to work. I've got desk duty for two more weeks. I don't think it's fitting punishment for my crime. I should have been fired. I should have been shot. As much as I've wanted to talk to Faith, I avoid her. She avoids me too when possible. I steal glances at her in the locker room, roll call, whenever I think she's near I can't stop myself from looking.  
  
My two weeks of desk duty pass quickly. I go to Haggerdy's after work. It's Friday. Everybody from the shift meets here on Friday - everybody except Faith. I sit alone at the bar. I listen to the jukebox.  
  
"I met my old lover On the street last night She seemed so glad to see me I just smiled And we talked about some old times And we drank ourselves some beers Still crazy after all these years Still crazy after all these years"  
  
The door opens, I know it's Faith. I don't turn. I don't want her to notice me. I don't want her to leave. I want her to have some fun with her friends. I'll finish my beer and leave.  
  
"I'm not the kind of man Who tends to socialize I seem to lean on Old familiar ways And I ain't no fool for love songs That whisper in my ears Still crazy after all these years Still crazy after all these years  
  
I feel her approach. She sits on the stool next to mine and signals the bartender for a beer. I can't go on without hearing her voice one more time. "How you been doing?" I look at her in the mirror above the bottles behind the bar.  
  
"Can't complain. You?" She asks. I want to say miserable, hopeless, devastated that I've lost my best friend. Our eyes meet in the mirror and for once I'm the first to turn away. I'm afraid what I'll see if I look too long into her eyes.  
  
Instead I just say fine and sip my beer. I never want this drink to end.  
  
"Four in the morning Tapped out Yawning Longing my live away I'll never worry Why should I? It's all gonna fade"  
  
The bartender brings Faith's beer and she takes a sip. "So, we riding together tomorrow?" she asks.  
  
I remember having this conversation once before in the locker room with our roles reversed. I remember her response. "Absolutely."  
  
"Good, that's good, cause you know." Faith trails off.  
  
"Yeah, me too."  
  
"Now I sit by my window And I watch the cars roll by I fear I'll do some damage One fine day But I would not be convicted By a jury of my peers Still crazy after all these years."  
  
----------------- Thank you to Simon and Garfunkel for their song "Still Crazy After All These Years" and the creators of TW for these great characters. Thank you for reading! 


End file.
